Secondary or storage battery



Nov. 11, 1941. L. E. LIGHTON 2,262,018

.' SECONDARY OR STORAGE BATTERY Filed Jan. 15, 1940 Patented Nov. 11, 1941 UNITED STATES #PATENT OFFICE f 2,262,018 SECONDARY R STORAGE BATTERY Lester E. Lighten,- Glenside, Pa., assignor to The Ele ctric .Storage Battery Company, phjai, Pa., a corporation of New Jersey Philadel- The present invention relates to the type of storage battery shown and described in Letters Patent 2,027,310, of January 7, 1936, to Edward W. Smith, and is an improvement upon the structure shown and described in applicationserial No. 254,824, filed by the same Mr. Smith, and which includes the structure of the patent plus inclined perforated baflle plates arranged in the vent tube and disposed above the cell cover.

The object of the present improvement is to insure that any liquid which may pass upward through the perforations in the bafiles will drain back into the cell.

Without this drainage and under some operating conditions, the foaming of the electrolyte due to the gas escaping from beneath the gas cover through the vent will cause the foam to rise sufiiciently to pass through the perforations in the bafiles. While the inclined arrangement of bafiles will ordinarily cause liquid, which may pass through the perforations near the high portions of the baflles, to drain back through the perforations in the lower portions of the baffles, conditions may arise in which this drainage is not sufficient and liquid may collect above the bafiles where gas escaping through the perforations will cause additional foaming and may cause the foam to overflow the top of the vent.

The present invention comprises a drain duct extending from the interior of the vent tube above the of the vent tube and opening downward through a shoulder in line with an opening in the upper cover of the cell.

The invention also comprises the improvements to be presently described and finally claimed.

In the following description reference will be made to the accompanying drawing forming part hereof and in which,

Figure 1 is a transverse sectional view of so much of a storage battery as is necessary for illustrating the invention; and

Figure 2 is a sectional View taken on the line 2-2 of Figure 1.

Referring to the drawing, 1 indicates a con tainer having covers 2 and 3 spaced apart and of which the cover 2 is provided with a filling opening 4. The other or gas cover 3 is arranged below the level of the electrolyte in the cell and above the plate structure 5 of the cell. The cover 3 is provided with a vent tube 6. The vent tube 6 extends through and beyond the filling opening 4. There is an annular space between the rim of the opening and the outer surface of the tube.

low part of the baflles through the wall upper end of the.

of the structureupon' which the present invention is animprovement.

8 is an'enlarged tubular head arranged on the tube 6 above the upper cover 2. The" head 8 isprovided'at its. base'with a shoulder 9 "overhanging the annular spacebetween the tube In a general way this is a description 6 and the rim of the opening 4. [0 indicates a set of inclined perforated bafile plates arranged in the head 8. Within the wall of the head is a drain duct ll communicating at its upper end l2 with the interior of the head 8 above the low portion of the bafile plates l0. The duct ll opens in alignment with the annular space between the rim of the opening 4 and the exterior of the tube 6. The duct H is arranged through an enlargement I 3 on the inner wall of the head 8.

The duct ll provides drainage from the interior of the head 8 back into the cell I.

It may be remarked that the function of the bailies is to break up and dissipate foam rising above the bafile plates 10 from beneath them through the tube 6 and if d appreciably larger than that of the perforations in bafiles I0. V

I claim:

1. As an improvement cell having covers spaced has a filling opening and is arranged at the top of the cell and of which the other is arranged below the level of the electrolyte inthe cell, and above the plate structure of the cell and is provided with a vent tube extending through and beyond the filling opening with annular space between the rim of the opening and the outer surface of the tube, the provision of an enlarged tubular head arranged on the upper end of the tube above the upper cover and having at its apart and of which one base a shoulder overhanging said annular space, V a and a set of inclined perforated bafiie plates arranged in the head, said head having within its wall a drain duct communicating at its upper end with the interior of the head above the low downward through the shoulder 9 portion of the internal upon a storage battery has a filling opening and is arranged at the top of the cell and of which the other is arranged below the level of the electrolyte in the cell and above the plate structure of the cell and is provided with a vent tube extending through and beyond the filling opening with annular space between the rim of the opening and the outer surface of thetube, the provision of an enlarged tubular head arranged on the upper end of the tube above the upper cover and having at its base a shoulder overlying said annular space, said head having a portion of its bounding wall provided with an inwardly disposed enlarged or thickened portion, and a set of inclined perforated baflle plates arranged in the head, said head having within the enlarged or thickened portion of its wall a drain duct communicating at its upper end with the interior of'the head opening downward through the shoulder in alignment with said annularspace.

3. As an improvement upon a storage battery cell having covers spaced apart and of which one has a filling opening and is arranged at the topof the cell and of which the other is arranged below the level of the electrolyte in the cell and above the plate structure of the cell and is proabove the low portion of the baflle plates and vided with a vent tube extending through and beyond the filling opening with annular space between the rim of the opening and the outer surface of the tube, said tube having within it above the level of the first mentioned cover a set of inclined perforated baffle plates, the provision of a drain duct communicating at its upper end with the interior of the vent tube above the low portion of the bafile plates and having its lower end located to drain into the cell through the annular space.

4. An improvement upon a storage battery cell having covers spaced apart and of which one is arranged at the top of the cell and of which the other is arranged below the level of the electrolyte in the cell and above the plate structure of the cell and is provided with a vent tube extending through and beyond the first mentioned cover, said tube having within it a set of inclined perforated baflie plates, the provision of a drain arranged at the low side of the baflles and adapted for the reception and discharge, exteriorly of said vent tube, of any liquid which may tend to collect above the bafiles and give rise to additional foaming that might overflow at the top of the vent tube.

LESTER E. LIGHTON. 

